Child&#39;s spring chair



Sept. 5, 1950 B. F. STRAND, JR 2,521,422

' CHILD'S SPRING CHAIR Filed June 9, 1947 INVENTOR ATTO R N EY PatentedSept. 5, 1950 UNITED STATES vRA'I'ENT OFFICE CHILDS SPRING CHAIR I 1Bert F. Strand, In, Toledo, Ohio Application June 9, 1947, Serial No.753,399

4 Claims.

construction and adapted for use in the home or on automobile seats.

' Another object of the invention is the provision of a chair of thischaracter which may be per 'mitted to have a springing action or bebraced against such action by simple and efficient means I for thepurpose.

Another object of the invention isthe provision in a chair of thischaracter of a bail member attached to the upper portiono'f the chairand adapted to be placed in raised upright position to serve as acarrying member for the chair, to be placed in rearwardly projectingsubstantially horizontal position to be used as a member to be graspedand moved forward and backward to a slight'extent to impart a slightvibratory or springing movement to the chair, and to be placed indownwardly, rearwardy inclined position and engaged at its loop or freeend with the foot or bottom portion of the chair to brace'it againstspringing action. 1

The invention is fully described in the following specification, and apreferred embodiment thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings,in

which- Fig. 1 is a rear perspective view of a chair embodying theinvention, with the bail member in frame bracing position and indicatedin dotted lines in other positions of its swinging movement; Fig. 2 is afront perspective view of the chair with the bail member in raised orupright position and indicated in dotted lines in other positions of itsswinging movement; Fig. 3 is a front perspective view of the chairsimilar to Fig. 2, with the tray removed and with the bail member inframe bracing position, and Fig. l is a bottom perspective View of thetray removed from the chair.

Referring to the drawings, E, I represent the two duplicate transverselyspaced or opposed side members of the chair frame which are of springmaterial, preferably strap steel, and each is bent or shaped to providea rearwardly extending runner or foot portion 2, a front upright portion3 and a rearwardly extending arm portion 4. The runner portions 2 of thetwo members are connected and rigidly braced apart by a cross-piece 5attached thereto. The arm portions 4 are connected and braced at theirrear ends by a back 6, such end portions being preferably transverselyturned to present flat vertical faces to the respective side edges ofthe back so as to facilitate in balanced position. be placed in uprightposition, as shown in full .lines in Fig. 2, to facilitate carrying achair or suspending it by a rope or other means connected attaching, asshown. The upright portions 3 are connected and braced substantiallymidway of their ends by a seat "I the front edge of which is fixedlyattached to each upright, as at 8, and its rear edge is suspended fromthe lower edge of the back 6 by a flexible strap 9 of leather or othersuitable material.

The runner portions 2 are preferably slightly upwardly bowed to makecontact at their ends only with the floor or other member on which thechair may rest, and a shoe H] of rubber, plastic or other suitablematerial is preferably provided at the front end of each of suchportions. The rear end of each runner is turned upwardly and over, asshown-at H, to provide an eye or loop with its front side open for thepurpose hereinafter described.

A ball member 52 of Uform, and preferably of round bar stock, has thefree ends of its legs turned in and pivotally engaged with sockets inbearing blocks l3 attached to the under sides of the respective armportions i so that upon a lifting of the chair by the bail, the chair isheld This bail member may to the bail to permit the chair to serve as aswing seat. The bail may also be rearwardly extended in horizontalposition, as shown by dotted lines at a in Figs. 1 and 2, and thus serveas a handle to be grasped by a person seated near and moved to impart areciprocatory springing or rocking movement to the chair to amuse asmall child seated therein. The bail may also be swung down to therearwardly inclined position shown in full lines in Figs. 1 and 3 andhave the cross portion of itsloop engaged with the loops 5 i at the endsof the runners 2. This causes the bail to serve as a rigid brace betweenthe top and bottom portions of the chair frame to prevent springingaction of the frame. The bail is yieldingly held in upright position bythe lower end of its legs springing into engagement with notches in lugsas at the outer edges of the arm portions 4. It is likewise yieldinglyheld in its horizontal position by the springing engagement of its legswithin notched end portions 15 of said arms. The free or swinging end ofthe bail may be easily sprung into engagement with or released from theloops I i.

If the chair is to be placed on an automobile seat, the rear ends of therunners 2 are inserted between the seat cushion and rear cushion, thus tnd ng to hQld the chair on the seat and to prevent forward tipping. Tofacilitate this, the rear ends of the runners 2 are curved slightlydownward. Straps 16 may be attached to the ends of the cross-piece 5 andengaged around a small child in the chair to prevent it from slippingout under the tray.

A tray I? may be mounted on the arms 4 and slidingly held thereto byengagement of angle strips I8 with the arms. These strips are engagedwith the inner arm edges by endwise insertion of the strips throughnotches IS in said edges (Fig. 3) The tray is held in adjusted positionon the arms by engagement of releasable hand operated bolts 29 on theunder side of the tray with notches 2| in the arm edges.

It is apparent that I have provided a simple and novel form of springframe chair iolf lP-all children, which chair may be convenientlycarried from place to place by use of the bail mem= ber when the latteris in upright position. The bail member may also be used to rock orjiggle a child in the chair when the bail member is in horizontalposition, or may be used to rigidly brace the chair-frame againstspringing movements when the bail member is in rearwardly and downwardlyinclined position as when the chair is used as a high chair.

I wish it understood that my invention is not limited to any specificconstruction, arrangement or form of the parts, as it is capable ofnumerous modifications and changes without departing from the spirit ofthe claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by United States Letters Patent, is:

l. A chair of the class described comprising opposing side framemembers, each constituting a single piece of spring metal having a frontupright portion with a rearwardly extending runner portion at its lowerend and a rearwardly extending arm portion at its upper end, abackdisposed between and attached to the rear ends of the ar port a a tah d to and pr jecting rearwardly from the upright portions inter.-mediate their ends and suspended at its rear edge iroin the back, andbail means connecting said arm portions to the rear ends of said runnerportions and serving to limit the springing action of the fram memb rs.

2. A chair of the class described comprising opposing side frame membersof spring metal each having a front upright portion, a rearwardlyextending runner portion at its lower end and a rearwardly extending armat its upper end, means rigidly connecting said frame members andincluding a back attached to the rear ends of the arm portions and aseat attached to and projecting rearwardly from said upright portion andconnected to the back, and a bail member straddling the frame members atthe outer sides of the arm portions and pivotally connected thereto forvertical swinging movements rear wardly and downwardly from uprightcarrying position to intermediate and lower positions, and

means for releasably engaging said bail when in lower position with therear end portions of the runners to brace the frame members againstsprin ing movements.

3. An arrangement as called for in claim 2, to-

gether with separate means on said arm portions to engage and releasablyhold the bail in either upright or intermediate positions.

n a chair havin opp pr n d flame members with vertically spaced upperand lower rearwardly extending yieldingly connected portions andcross-connecting means for said portions, a bail pivoted to said upperportions for forward and rearward swinging movements in a vertical planeand adapted when in upright position to Serve as a suspending member forthe chair and when swung downward rearwardly of the chair to engage therear ends of said lower portions to limit the spring of the side framemembers, and means on the rear ends of said lower frame portions forreleasable holding ena fiment. with the bail when the two are in engagedrelation.

BERT F. STRAND, J

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file atthis pa ent- UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re.2.0,37 2 Lorenz lMay 18, 1937 260,146 Wiggers June 27, 1882 2 2'73,9.80 Moody Feb. 241942

